1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to fuel generation and, more particularly, to an environmentally friendly or “green” biofuel and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
A primary consideration of the waste industry is landfill disposal of garbage. Generally, a secondary consideration is the recycling of commodities. Rarely, but increasingly, the waste industry is considering recycling waste as a spec fuel.
It is known to convert biomass to usable forms of energy like methane gas or transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals that contains chemical energy.
It is also known to burn biomass as fuel. When burned, the chemical energy in the biomass is released as heat. This heat can be used to produce steam for making electricity, or to provide heat to industries and homes.
Still further, it is known to burn municipal solid waste (MSW) or garbage, which is also known as the garbage stream, as fuel. For example, in Europe MSW or garbage fuels cement kilns and has other industrial uses. The MSW or garbage burned in these uses, however, is unsorted. This burning can be undesirable because it releases environmentally harmful compounds such as chlorine and sulfur into the atmosphere.
Embodiments of the present invention provide and/or utilize an environmentally friendly biofuel (referred to herein as “Green Fuel”) that is derived from the MSW and selected recyclables. Notably, Green Fuel consists only of burnables such as paper, plastic, cardboard, rags, rugs, and/or wood that are picked out of the MSW stream. These burnables are selected from the garbage stream. This selection avoids problems such as chlorine and sulfur and other inorganic materials that result when garbage is burned. Another innovative aspect of the present invention is that materials from the MSW stream that are burnable and have high BTUs may be specifically picked out. A result is a fuel from MSW that, when substituted for coal, yields a reduction of green house gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide.